Week 6 — Motion, Gravity & Friction (SimLab)

Focus Concept: Exploring how objects slide, roll and collide in Tinkercad SimLab
Mini-Project: Sliding & Rolling Experiments

Connections to STEAM Learning

  • Computing: Using a physics simulation tool (SimLab) to test designs virtually.
  • Science: Observing forces, gravity, friction and collisions.
  • Design & Technology: Testing shapes and surfaces before making real models.
  • Maths: Comparing distances, speeds and slopes informally.
  • Engineering: Thinking about which shapes move smoothly and which get stuck.

This week introduces Tinkercad SimLab. Instead of building something to print, participants build simple test rigs and watch how shapes slide, roll and bump into each other.

Objectives

  • Open a design in SimLab and run a basic simulation.
  • Compare how different shapes move (sliding vs rolling).
  • Talk about gravity and friction using simple language.

Success Criteria

  • I can start a SimLab simulation and watch it play.
  • I can say whether an object slid, rolled or toppled — and why.
  • I can tweak my design (e.g. ramp angle or shape) to change the motion.

Key Vocabulary

  • SimLab — Tinkercad’s physics simulation space.
  • Gravity — the force that pulls things down.
  • Friction — the force that slows sliding and rolling surfaces.
  • Ramp — a sloping surface that changes height gradually.

Part A — Explore SimLab

  • Show how to switch from normal Tinkercad into SimLab for a simple scene.
  • Drop a block and a cylinder onto a ramp and predict what will happen.
  • Run the simulation and compare with predictions.

Part B — Make: Sliding & Rolling Experiments

  • Let learners build their own small ramps and obstacle courses.
  • Test different shapes (cubes, cylinders, spheres) and observe how they move.
  • Encourage them to make small changes (steeper ramp, rougher surface, different shapes) and test again.

Part C — Extend & Share

  • Try simple “races”: which object reaches the bottom first?
  • Ask: “What changed when you made the ramp steeper?” or “Which shape rolls best and why?”

Resources

Equipment

  • Laptops / Chromebooks with internet
  • Mouse per device

Safety & Setup Notes

  • Make clear that this is a virtual experiment, but ideas link to real‑world ramps and rolling objects.
  • Encourage learners to run short simulations and reset often, rather than making huge, complex scenes that become confusing.